Any year in a rebuild that doesn't result in at least one elite young player joining either thru the draft or some other means is a wasted year.

Jury's out on Drysdale.
- Tomahawk

Cue the, "but, but, but, BUFFALO!!!!"

It's crazy how many people don't agree with you. The payoff to the fans for a crap team should be exactly what you said. That's what gives the fans hope for next year and beyond. Not the hope for another Mark Staal signing.

The Flyers have gone from 29th to 26th to (currently) 21st. If they keep this up, they will be top of the league in another five years.
- Feanor

We should all pen and publish public thank you's to team management and the coaches for that improvement to 21st like that other douche bag did.

I am not a fan of Torts and have been critical of him. I'm not the most objective on this, but after the results (and his actions) this season, why would we let him finish out the contract?

He went from Jack Adams to Jack Sh*t pretty quickly:-)

I am not a fan of Torts and have been critical of him. I'm not the most objective on this, but after the results (and his actions) this season, why would we let him finish out the contract?

He went from Jack Adams to Jack Sh*t pretty quickly:-)
- cdearth23

He was never legitimately in the Jack Adams running.

What would fans be satisfied with for a ceiling? A prime Keith Yandle with better defense and giving the team 5-7 years as a PP qb?
- Minnyhock

ghost lol

He was never legitimately in the Jack Adams running.
- MJL

I was joking in my remark because some people on there thought he was clearly the front runner for the award.

If the Flyers had made the playoffs, I think he would have gotten some votes. Now it's a moot point.

I was watching a Bulls game (I think, definitely NBA) with some buddies. We were so (frank)ing pissed that they kept showing this stupid boring car going down the highway.
- PT21

cant remember what I was doing. It was just dumb luck that I tuned into Peter Jennings. One of the funnier things I ever heard live. Hard to believe no one in the broadcast crew could tell it was a prank. Although...right after the recent earthquake I tuned into KWY (I think) and heard a man on street interview that was pretty ridiculous. I thought it was a prank. The guy was talking about how he was in the bathroom "doin' my buidness" when the quake hit.

He was never legitimately in the Jack Adams running.
- MJL

yes he was at a point in time. why will you not accept that?

No, but it wouldn’t have been surprising if he had. Ito was an egomaniac as well as being incompetent. He should have never televised the trial. Going on entertainment shows was embarrassing. He had already outed himself as incompetent in the S and L debacle trial.
- Minnyhock

Given that he broke down and sobbed uncontrollably for a long time after the verdict, I would suggest it would have been surprising.

OJ was a pos, and I agree with 2050: it was disgusting to see people celebrate his acquittal on some cockamamie racial basis.

Anyway.

He was never legitimately in the Jack Adams running.
- MJL

that's disingenuous. plenty of on-air personalities and other hockey experts had him penciled in at one point or another this season. it's just the truth.

Flyers are paying a 4C almost $8M a year until he hits SS. No way they will be able to contend without first rebuilding. If he is unhappy, he is more than welcome to voluntarily terminate his contract so he could play for a contender. Think he will get $8M per year for the next 6 years?
- mr4tno

Unless he retires, yes, he will get his money. Does he get form the Flyers, another team or a combination of teams, I don't know.

Given that he broke down and sobbed uncontrollably for a long time after the verdict, I would suggest it would have been surprising.

OJ was a pos, and I agree with 2050: it was disgusting to see people celebrate his acquittal on some cockamamie racial basis.

Anyway.
- PT21

So if someone is not convicted criminally of an offense but is found civilly liable for it, we should accept that they did it and judge them accordingly for the rest of their lives?

Any year in a rebuild that doesn't result in at least one elite young player joining either thru the draft or some other means is a wasted year.

Jury's out on Drysdale.
- Tomahawk

Cutter was a potential huge loss. Since flyers need talented centers.

Lol.

https://www.flyersnation....ohn-tortorella-thank-you/


🤮
- StepfordSam

Im starting to hate the team more because of its fanbase than because of their inept philosophies and operational malfeasance

I was watching the OJ Bronco chase live when that Baba Booey prank call happened. That was amazing. The call was so ridiculous and hard to believe how long they let it go on. I listened to a lot of Stern back then and it was obvious to me what was happening.
- Dkos

That was peak stern. Brilliant

But he didn't say that though. He said it was not at the stage where there was open mutiny, a la Bill Barber. Mutiny, open or covert, is not synonymous with quitting.

The Eagles quit last year. Players did their own thing. They freelanced. They improvised. They ignored what the coaches told them.

No one however badmouthed the coaches.
- PT21

Flyers aren't doing that tho. Nobody's freelancing or cheating. They're still getting in front of pucks and competing in the corners. They just aren't as sharp with their coverages and reads as they were earlier. They aren't executing with the same amount of precision. The quality of goaltending has gone from mediocre to dogpoop.

This is not what a hockey mutiny looks like.

And in hockey, 'quitting' == mutiny.

What would fans be satisfied with for a ceiling? A prime Keith Yandle with better defense and giving the team 5-7 years as a PP qb?
- Minnyhock

Yup. Dan Boyle

The problem is that the vast majority of the fan base outside of this message board is hanging from Torts' nuts as if he was the fountain of life itself.

They have brought into the culture and standard nonsense hook line and sinker.
- MBFlyerfan

the anti-Torts crowd is starting to come out, losing does that, the end of the season will bring it more.

So if someone is not convicted criminally of an offense but is found civilly liable for it, we should accept that they did it and judge them accordingly for the rest of their lives?
- Feanor

https://nypost.com/2024/0...ention-of-murder-victims/

they will offer that to OJ and not to a police officer killed in the line of duty. Love the demo party.

He was never legitimately in the Jack Adams running.
- MJL

He will get votes. 🗳 But i believe not close to Tocchet & Brunette

https://nypost.com/2024/04/11/us-news/white-house-expresses-condolences-on-oj-simpsons-death-with-no-mention-of-murder-victims/

they will offer that to OJ and not to a police officer killed in the line of duty. Love the demo party.
- hello it's me 2050

This is the world we live in now

Had no choice, in my opinion.

After the Chicago game, he was asked about whether he had the team prepared to play after the seven-game gauntlet. First question he was asked. He shot it down in two sentences, saying the preparation wasn't the issue and the team was ready. That was on March 30.

March 31 was an off-day.

April 1 was the 4-3 overtime loss to the Islanders. Afterward, he threw players under the bus.

April 2 was an off-day.

April 3, Tortorella says he meant what he said after the Islanders game BUT he does a complete 180 on his March 30 comments. He said that he hadn't had his team ready to play the last new games and it was his biggest frustration both with himself and the team.

Mind you, the whole Couturier thing hadn't gone over well. Back in November, when things were going well for the team and for Couturier individually, Charlie O'Connor asked Tortorella about load management for Couturier, playing 20 mins a night almost every game. Tortorella said he was aware of it but basically, the games were dictating that Couturier play all the minutes he could handle.

It's midseason. Couturier is essentially putting up three points per every four games (29 points after his 40th game played. Averaging 20:03 of ice time per game. He hits his first slump of the season. Missed two games due to an lower-body injury. Production dropped off a cliff from there.

Tortorella never owed any of it. Not one bit. He shot down any suggestion that Couturier had been overplayed. Got in face on the bench. Demoted him to the fourth line. Eventually scratched him two games. Meanwhile, at "Tortorella's choosing" and after four-plus months of insisting there wouldn't be a captain named again this season, Couturier is named captain.

Without some sort of a rational explanation for why it was 100 percent on the player, Tortorella not only refused to address it. He ducked his own media availabilities several times.

He sent out assistant coaches to talk in his place because he "didn't feel" like talking about it or he had extended family members at the game and didn't want to spare even the few minutes that a press conference takes. NO other coach in the NHL does that. None. Not even Darryl Sutter. Sutter would mumble a one-sentence (or one word) answer but he'd still show up.

The players had to field questions, but the head coach didn't. The coach throws the backup goalie under the bus. Before the next game, he apologizes for refusing to answer the question and then walking out of the press conference. ALL he had to say was what he eventually said. "The effort was there. It wasn't his night."

Everyone knew Sandstrom was god-awful in that game and, unfortunately, no more a viable option down the stretch than Cal Petersen. Good guys. They make the effort. But not adequate starters in a stretch game. Just protect the player publicly, which is what a coach is supposed to do. Tortorella apologized and owned up to the lack of professionalism, which was 100 percent the right thing to do.

But when you add you up owning no part of a negative effect to burning the candle at both ends with Couturier (when there was an actual consequence to it, and the Flyers had hit the wall big time -- and not just when it was a hypothetical question about what could happen, because it hadn't happened yet), demoting and scratching his new captain (and then refusing to discuss it), the Sandstrom press conference question and apology, the "lack the balls" press conference after the Islanders, self-absolution about post-"gauntlet" preparation being an issue and then, a few days later, a 180 swing to a taking ownership of it.... well, there's a lot of things Tortorella mishandled and then had to scramble to try and repair.

That doesn't take the things he's done well. I also don't think there's an open revolt against the coach in the room. BUT I do think he's damaged his hold and that none of this was productive or necessary.

Just my take.
- bmeltzer

well said-

You would think most of this is a thought in the head for DB and KJ. Do you think DB has the notion and the backing to sit Torts down and demand some change in his approach? It is possible Torts learns from this?

Seattle has Sharks, come on Seattle

This is the world we live in now
- Just5

forgot to add non binary and transtesticle peeps also get condolences. amazing this world we live in with the cop and jewish hate. Supporting terrorist's next on the demo to do list

i'm genuinely curious if anyone has examples of a player going through a handful of injuries very early on in their career and growing into a solid, long-term NHLer.

i'm not saying it will or will not happen. but does anyone have any names that come to mind?
- anti-lame

Ray Whitney missed a lot of time early in his career. Turned out OK.

Bergy and Crosby almost had their careers ended early.

Probably a lot of others.

Might be tougher for a guy like Drysdale tho, since he's still super super young, he's been basically missing a lot of development time at a position you can ill afford to.